A blog of wargaming from Sweden.
Everything from the Middle Ages via the Napoleonic era to the 41st millenium.
Including Warhammer, LotR, Lion Rampant, Song of Drums and Shakos, Chain of Command and Warhammer 40k etc.

Sunday, June 30, 2013

A bit more on Swedish Napoleonic Soldiers in 1813

Sometimes a piece of artwork provides all inspiration you need.

This picture drawn by Swedish officer Ljunggren who was in the Northern Army of the Leipzig Campaign 1813 is simply great. The picture has the subtitle "The difference between the officers who stayed at home and the Swedish officers returning from Germany". It highlights the old fashioned and somewhat odd uniform that the Swedes wore at the start of the campaign and how the Swedish officers begged, borrowed and stole (maybe even bought...) new uniforms to avoid riducule from their allies. In particular the high collar and close to corsican style hat looked out of place. Coming to the continent the Swedes finally realized that shako clearly was the new black and it was as a consequence later part of the new Swedish uniform of 1815.

This picture - apart from information - also gives a lot of inspiration for gaming. It was apparent that our Swedish forces on the gaming table had to include a rash officer who was a fashion victim with an attitude who had very high thoughs of himself and who had been very fast indeed to get his hands on a new uniform.

Also, a somewhat thickheaded officer with no means to get even a shako had to be included.

Shown below is a WIP of our fashionable (and thereby rare!) Swedish officer, using among other things a Perry Austrian officer, a Russian shako and a plume from a French colpack.

Ljunggren's picture of how the Swedish officers changed their uniforms during the 1813-1814 campaign.